Branding Tattoo Piercing

Tattoo versus Piercing

I think I agree with many women about the piercing: it is a temporary situation. If I decide that I'm tired of having the ear pierced, then it's a relatively easy thing to let the hole close (which it will do in a couple of days, he says,having learned this the hard way).

As for tattoos, I too have flirted with the idea. I think that everyone does at some point in their life. I haven't decided to get one, but by the same token I haven't decided not to get one either. If you want to know my opinion about, I think that a small, personalized tattoo, something like an owl or possibly a maple leaf could mean something to the tattooed. If this tattoo is placed in a relatively private location, then the things are perfect. by Author Evie Lampard

It's not conventional art; Tattoo, piercing artists gather to learn

Jon Slichter tapped out the pain with his foot. The 27-year-old asked for a break, breathed deep, and then thumped his chest with his fist.
"OK," he said, signaling for two piercing artists to continue poking more than 30 short needles through his shaved scalp. The group was creating a "crown of thorns" on Slichter's head at a tattoo and piercing convention called Ink Travelers, being held at the Coeur d'Alene Casino this weekend.

"Ouch," said onlooker Ken Cromer, a maintenance worker at the casino, who stopped by the convention during his lunch break. Cromer called the event the most unusual show the casino has hosted.

"Some (casino customers) are a little freaked out," he said. "The older ones, especially. "Convention founder Felicia Conley predicted 1,000 to 1,500 people will have attended the three-day event before it ends tonight. It's the fifth Ink Travelers convention, which brings mainly Northwest tattoo and piercing artists together to learn new skills, attract new customers and show off their work.

"The artists will flock together because they're all so good, and they're all so arrogant," said Tom Bishop, who helped organize the event. "Some of these people almost come with an entourage," he added later.

The convention includes contests such as best tribal tattoo, best old-school design and most unusual piercing. Today's competitions run from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Jodie Soto's backside was the first thing attendees could see as they entered the convention room Saturday afternoon. Soto, 30, came from Seattle to get a tattoo on her lower back from Pat Fish, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based tattooist known for her Celtic designs.

"I wasn't going to get a tattoo unless I could get it from her," Soto said.

The mother of three described the pain as "less than childbirth."

While the tattoo was Soto's first, tattooist Josh May of Missoula lost track of how many he has.

"I'm working on just getting all covered," he said.

May calls his left thigh his "sketch pad," where he practices designs. His arms are covered in Mexican Day of the Dead designs, a portrait of blues musician Robert Johnson and a Japanese geisha. May's forearm features a foot-long design of the Virgin Mary, her arms outstretched.

"It's an homage to my mom," he said.

Tattoos have become more common in the last five years. Bishop said young military enlistees, rock stars and the subculture crowd are still getting them, but so are grandmothers and professionals. Bishop himself works in the Washington state Department of Social and Health Services' medical fraud investigation unit. During the week, he wears shirts and pants that cover most of his body art.

"Anybody who's going to get stuff on their necks and hands is really serious," Bishop said. "You're limiting where you're going to go in life."

But Frank DuBarry, 31, said the ink that covers his face has opened doors in the arts community.

"It was a way to express myself in less words," he said of the 11- year-old tattoo. "It weeds out people I don't want to talk to anyway."

When asked why they tattoo and pierce themselves, some attendees said it's for spiritual reasons. Others consider their bodies canvases for art. And some just shrugged their shoulders, unable to explain.

Author Megan Cooley Copyright The Spokesman-Review, Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

Tattoo, branding and piercing policy

Our current policy on tattoos, branding, piercing, and other forms of body art has not changed appreciably over the past thirty years. Our standards date back to a time when tattooing was restricted to a very small portion of society, branding was almost unheard of, and piercing was limited to earlobes. Consequently, there was little practical need to spell out, in great detail, the "dos" and "don'ts" of body art. Clearly, times have changed. Tattooing has exploded in popularity and now touches all segments of our society. While branding remains far less popular, it is common in some social circles. As for piercing, one only needs to walk through the shopping mall or along the beach to see how much things have changed over the course of the last decade or so.

These trends have gradually eased their way into our military workforce. However, given our role as a military service and as a federal law enforcement agency along with our level of daily contact with the general public, we cannot allow ourselves to be guided solely by social trends and fashion. Therefore, the time has come to recalibrate and affirm our standards for tattoos, branding, piercing, and other forms of body art that are consistent with the requirement to maintain a sharp, professional military image to the public we serve.

Our intent is not to draw undue attention to members of our team who already have tattoos or brands. Where appropriate, we have incorporated a grandfathering feature into certain aspects of the new policy that will apply to all current members for the remainder of their careers.

When evaluating tattoos,

we consider three factors--content, location, and quantity. Content is the subject of the tattoo. That is, what does the picture depict. We have long prohibited tattoos that depict racist, indecent, extremist, or lawless themes. This standard remains unchanged in the new policy and will not be grandfathered. Content issues are more common among new accessions vice those personnel already on active duty. For more than thirty years, the head, face, and neck have been off-limits to all forms of body marking. The new policy adds hands, below the wrist bone, to the list of off-limit areas. The intent of this change it to ensure that every member of the Coast Guard can appear in a service dress uniform without any visible tattoos. Again, those who currently have tattoos on their hands will be grandfathered. Quantity is the greatest area of change in the new policy. Each month, our recruiting offices are faced with a growing number of applicants with near 100 percent coverage on their arms and/or legs. The new policy limits tattooing of exposed arms [between the elbow and wrist bone] and legs [between the knee and ankle bone] to not more than 25 percent of the area based on a visual approximation. Tattoos that involve complex murals or serpentine designs that dominate a given area shall be regarded as full coverage within the bound area. Any current service member who is at or exceeds the 25% limit is prohibited from adding to the tattooed area.

Branding,

a far less accepted form of body art, with unique medical concerns, will be far more restricted. No member may have more than one brand anywhere on their body. The brand may not exceed four inches in diameter. As with tattoos, brands may not appear on the head, neck, face, or hands.

Our policy regarding body piercing is also changing significantly. No piercing, other than those for earrings as described below, shall be made through the ear, nose, tongue, chin, eyebrow, or any other body part that would be visible while in any uniform.

This prohibition applies to male and female members alike. Other piercing concealed by the uniform such as the navel or nipples are strongly discouraged due to the potential for infection and medical complications. Under no circumstance shall such concealed piercing and accompanying jewelry be visible through, or interfere with, the professional appearance of the member in uniform. Piercing in the ear shall not exceed two per ear lobe and shall be small and inconspicuous.

Additional piercing in the ear lobes and cartilage are prohibited. Guidance regarding the wearing of earrings by women while in uniform, can be found in Uniform Regulations, COMDTINST M1020.6 (series). All members are prohibited from wearing forms of facial jewelry [other than earrings for women] while in uniform, aboard a military installation, or while attending a command sponsored event. Those personnel with preexisting unauthorized piercing shall discontinue the use of those piercing to allow for eventual healing.

The forthcoming policy will also address, to a lesser extent, body mutilation and dental art. Both of these forms of body art are prohibited and will not be grandfathered.Heavy tattooing found its way into our organization over time. It will take time to ease our way back to a more desirable state. For those members already a part of team Coast Guard, this will have very little impact on our current workforce.

Author Kenneth Venuto

Please see ALCOAST 340/05 regarding official policy. The point of contact is CWO Joanne Stevens. She can be reached at (202) 267-2239 by phone or jmstevens@comdt.uscg.mil by e-mail.

Excerpt, Flag Voice 252, Adm. Kenneth Venuto, CG-1
COPYRIGHT U.S. Coast Guard - COPYRIGHT Gale Group


Tattoo Design Choice

Tattoos are for life.

If you don't make an educated decision there may come a time when you regret what you did. If you already have one or several tattoo designs inked I hope you're proud of them, but most importantly comfortable in your own skin. Think about not just the short-term gratification but also the long term weight attached.

Will you still be ok with them no matter what direction you may take in life?

Do you want to still have it when you have kids in the future and be a father?

Will it still be ok with you then?

I remember a guy who got a huge devil tattoo design inked on his back 10 years ago when he was in his early twenties. I wonder how he feels about it now...

If you're thinking about going for ink...I recommend you think about it for a few weeks just to make sure that you're totally ok with it. Either be 140% convinced about the decision or don't do it at all.

If you want to get a tattoo design inked it IS a decision that is not to be taken lightly although now they do have laser removal. You should never see that as an option. However strange it may sound, I would personally never recommend anyone to get a tattoo design inked, despite my own love of tattoos.

You are an adult and you can make your own decisions.

When making the decision to get a tattoo design inked, always ask yourself for what reason you're doing it. Don't do it from social pressure or for anyone else...do it for yourself!

If you after having asked yourself the questions above are fully sure that you want a tattoo design, and know what you want, then GO FOR IT!

The right tattoo design, one that looks good and means something to you, is an extension of your character and something to be proud of. Don't you agree that trying to decide on what tattoo design to get is extremely difficult?

And the fact that high quality tattoo designs are almost impossible to find online doesn't make things easier...

The sad truth is that most tattoo decision are made in a hurry while flipping the binders in a local tattoo studio. That's not the way such an important, life-long decision should be made, and it often results in people regretting they ever got that darn tattoo! Some go as far as getting surgery to have their tattoo designs removed, which could easily end up in the $1000's! And sadly, even though it cost them an arm and a leg, the result doesn't always turn out the way they were hoping for..

However, if you're lucky enough to find that perfect tattoo design for you, you will have a piece of art that will bring you satisfaction for the rest of your life!

So how do you find that perfect tattoo design?

The secret is to browse through a lot of tattoo ideas before you settle on one. That's where the problem comes in. I've spent countless of late nights and early hours searching for tattoo design ideas online... most of the times quitting in frustration after having found nothing of value..

No wonder so many people are walking around with downright ugly tattoos!

There are too many sites out there to list that offer gallery after gallery of tattoo designs, so a good point to check is if you decide to go with a membership site that offers, a money back guarantee and few good solid testimonials, bonus‘s are great too. The one above has a great selection but I will write a product review shortly as I have just purchased this myself. Hmm now its fun time!!!

Once you have chosen that perfect design and you just know that its too wicked to be original, think about certain things that you could add or modify to make it original. Hold onto those ideas and go for a visit down to your local parlor and have a chat to one of artists.